Why Henry Winkler Turned Down Iconic John Travolta Role

Henry Winkler got his big break when he was cast as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli in Happy Days, which ran for 11 season from 1974 through 1984. And while the overwhelming popularity of the role nearly led to similar casting in the 1978 musical comedy Grease, which may have altered the trajectory of his career, Winkler ultimately turned it down.

The 78-year-old opened up about what may have been during on appearance on the latest episode of Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast this week. When asked why he declined the lead role of Danny Zuko, which as everyone now knows went to John Travolta, Winkler gave a pretty honest and refreshing answer.

"This is the reason. In my pathetic mind, I thought to myself, 'I have now been the Fonz for 10 years. I'm now gonna play him again in the movies? I'm gonna be so typecast. I will never get work again,'" he explained.

For her part, Ripa immediately understood the dilemma. "A leather coat will be in your wardrobe for the rest of your life," she noted, to which Winkler agreed: "Exactly."

"So what happened?. I go home. I relax. I have a V8. John Travolta goes home and buys a plane," he continued, to an outbreak of laughter in the studio.

However, that wasn't the only reason Winkler turned the role down, as he admitted that carrying a tune—what might be considered a necessary skill for starring in a musical—isn't exactly his strong suite.

"I am not a singer. Here is my dream, is that I could sing like Lewis Capaldi, like Bruno, like the Boss, like Brandi Carlile. I dream to sing and take the audience on a journey," explained, quipping: "I sing and I watch the audience get up and run for the exit."

Winkler previously opened up about the missed opportunity while promoting his memoir, Being Henry: The Fonz … And Beyond, last October. And while he similarly joked at the time that the movie made Travolta wealthy enough to "literally buy a 747," he assured that there were no hard feelings between the two actors, despite apparent rumors to the contrary.

"He was amazing in Grease," Winkler told USA Today at the time. "There was no bad blood. That was all made up. I just got a wonderful note from him saying that he loved Barry. He's a wonderful human being.'"